Introduction to Our Manchu Diary
Our Eagle Flight to Katum, Into War Zone C, Near the Cambodian Border to do Battle with the VC and NVA
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- Mortar Attack from Across the Cambodian Border
- Recollections of a Mortar Attacked from Across the Cambodian Border During the Morning Hours of 11-Dec-67
- Tribute to Peter T. Melahn, Posted at The Wall-USA Pages
- Tribute to William Dewitt Davis, Posted at The Wall-USA Pages
- Bravo and Charlie Company’s Running Battle with the Viet Cong on 14-December-1967
- Charlie Company’s PVT Ford
- The following are two e-mail accounts about the ambush on December 14, 1967. They are between Captain Al Baker (Bravo Company Commander) and Spec-4 Bob Garner
- FSB Beauregard Established at Bo Tuc
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Our Eagle Flight to Katum, Into War Zone C, Near the Cambodian Border to do Battle with the VC and NVAKatum, Bo Tuc, Soui Cut Bill Fitch, Alpha Co. August 1967-68 (5/4/2001) The "big” eagle flight out of Tay Ninh was the move to Katum where they were building a large forward base on the Cambodian Border to stop the NVA from crossing over. They had to detour around the Katum base and that's why the Manchus 4/9 were sent to Bo Tuc [on 20-Dec-67] to cut off one the detours. Bo Tuc was a huge battle [20-Dec-67] with gun ships, jets, heavy 155mm and 8-inch guns from other Fire Bases pouring in on around the perimeter. We got overrun at Bo Tuc. There were between 30-50 dead NVA inside the perimeter the next morning. If you were there, you remember the NVA got to the ammo dump and blew it up into a huge fireball and the ammo dump burned and exploded all night long with the 105mm round and 81mm mortar "cooked off" and exploded. The artillery lower their gun to level fire and started firing "Bee Hive" rounds to keep from getting their gun positions from being overrun. However, You are correct about the "other" place with those steel dart beehive rounds all over the ground. That was Soui Cut [31-Dec-67] and I remember those steel darts were all over the place. They even found one NVA standing up impaled to a tree trunk with steal darts. It looked like he took the whole charge at point-blank range. Flight to Katum Willie Gin, Alpha Co. July 1967-68 (8/14/2001) The eagle flight to Katum from Tay Ninh was our “biggest ever”. It seemed like there were hundreds of us on the airstrip waiting for the slicks to arrive. In they came, seemed liked a hundred or more, swooping in with their propeller blades giving off their deafening (and yet familiar) “whop-whop-whopping” sounds and stirring up big gusts of wind; hovering only a few seconds before gently touching ground, and we climbed aboard with heads down to protect our eyes and faces from the swirling debris. Once airborne, it looked like a swarm of dragonflies behind us—the slicks slowly rising, lifting off the runway two and three at a time, then picking up speed in their upward diagonal ascent. It was a spectacular sight from the open doorway of the slick (where I sat, with my legs dangling over the sides), and seeing all those slicks in the air at once, with the landscape (with its ever-changing colors and patterns) slowing passing below. We filled the sky, and it was exciting to be part of it.
Recollections of a Mortar Attacked from Across the Cambodian Border During the Morning Hours of 11-Dec-67 Willie Gin, Alpha Co. 1967-68 (5/28/2003) Having only been with the Manchus since early July 1967, this frightening mortar attack for many of us in the Battalion was the first we had experienced in such large numbers, and falling in on us at such close range. It certainly was my first and it made a lasting impression on me, that I’ve not forgotten. When the initial attack started, coming from a short distance away, you could hear the unmistakable and continuous sound of mortar rounds coming out of their tubs—and those of us who were asleep were instantly awaken. It seemed like hundreds were being fired, and then silence, until the rounds started hitting the ground—one, two and three at a time. At first the mortars were landing out in front of our perimeter, and soon they began to hit alongside and inside of it. The explosions were so frightening and close to my position, it took an unbelievable amount of willpower, that I could muster, to hold my ground—wanting badly (very badly) to get the hell out of there, away from it all. It seemed like an eternity before those mortars stopped raining down on us. I learned a quick lesson that night; that I would rather be shot at, even at close range, than being mortared! It was too terrifying and unnerving to describe, and there wasn’t a hole deep enough to hide in. Bill Fitch, Alpha Co. 1967-68 (8/12/2000 and 8/14/2000) Peter Melahn was the “new guy” [his tour of duty began 30-Oct-67] that was killed in the December 11th mortar attack. I remember he was from New York and it seems that he enlisted and/or requested an assignment to Vietnam. He was with Frank Essig in a foxhole (next to SGT Jack Connell and mine) when their hole took a direct hit from a VC mortar. When we pulled them out of the foxhole, Pete was on top and we didn’t even see Frank until we pulled Pete out—Frank was underneath him, badly wounded. I help take Frank to the Dust-Off chopper and he was barely alive. That night the mortar tubes were so close to our position you could hear the “clank-click” of metal hitting metal as the VC were loading the mortars and moving the tubes around, to drop rounds in different locations of where the company was dug in at. After they fired the rounds—that sounded like they were firing from inside of our perimeter, instead of outside it—it took a long time for the rounds to hit. They walked them up and down the perimeter, 3 or maybe 4 times. I remember hearing them dropping the rounds down the tube and kept saying why doesn’t someone open fire on their position? Finally after the 2nd or 3rd volley of mortar fire, someone with a M-60 machine gun began returning fire. I remember saying, “Thank God! What took so long?” The mortar attack ended shortly after the M-60, and maybe some M-40’s, began returning fire. Pete Fairchild, LT, FO Alpha Co. 1967-68 (8/13/2000) I remember Alpha Company’s medic SP5 “Doc” Ruble (pronounced Rooble) treating the badly wounded soldier [Frank Essig]. We had a helicopter Medevac into our Alpha Company position, even while it was still dark because the surviving soldier needed urgent care in the rear. The enemy mortared us at about midnight, and two or three times more after that. Yes, we could hear the rounds drop into their tubes. This was during Operation Yellowstone, but before we moved into the 1st Brigade’s (forward) large-perimeter camp (with a C-130 capable airstrip) at Katum. We did get in counter-battery fire on, or near, the enemy’s position, but I suspect by then they were breaking down their weapons and relocating. This mortar attack occurred just 3 or 4 kilometers from the Vietnam-Cambodian border, where they had lots of ammunition and a logistics sanctuary. I had a new RTO from the 7/11th Artillery with me (regret I cannot recall his name) who had replaced SP4 Lynn. The new RTO was heavyset and turned out to be a fast learner. John Henchman, LTC, CO 4/9 Battalion, 1967-68 (8/13/2000) This mortar attack, referenced in good and accurate detail, was the night that CPT “Doc” Daubek (MD, Medical Corps) went from hole to hole helping the wounded. He was wounded twice and he refused to be evacuated until the last Manchu was in a Dust-Off. I put him in for a Silver Star, which he got. Tribute to Peter T. Melahn, Posted at The Wall-USA Pages Bill Fitch, Alpha Co. 1967-68 (8/30/2000) Pete was a "new guy" in the Platoon and I knew him for about 2 months. We were in a Weapons Platoon (4th Platoon) in Alpha Company, 4th Battalion 9th Infantry Regiment with the 25th Infantry Division. Pete and Frank Essig were in the foxhole next to mine. We were within 2 to 3 miles from the Cambodian Border. A fierce mortar attack was launched against our perimeter shortly after midnight. The NVA mortar fired 3 or 4 volleys of numerous 82mm mortar rounds onto our positions. The rounds were walked up and down our positions many times. There were many wounded and a medic received the Silver Star for his heroic actions attending to the wounded while under heavy fire. Pete and Frank's foxhole took a direct hit from a mortar round. Pete died instantly; Frank was badly wounded. Pete had said he was proud to be serving his country. Pete did his duties well and was an asset to the platoon; he was a friendly solider who got along with everyone. All in the platoon liked Pete and we miss him greatly. Several engagements later the NVA paid a heavy price for doing battle with the 4/9 Manchu Battalion and it is likely that the NVA responsible for the mortar attack perished in the heavy fighting that took place in Dec.’ 67-Feb.’68 along the Cambodian border. I honor Pete's memory to this day. Tribute to William Dewitt Davis, Posted at The Wall-USA Pages Dave Cline, Delta Co. 1967-68 (9/29/1999) I was with SSGT Davis when he was killed. He was assigned to Delta Co. 4th Bn. 9th Inf. 25th Inf. Div. at the time. He had just taken over as platoon sergeant several days prior to his death. A mortar round killed him during the night. I had gotten to know him while pulling security at a rock crusher at the base of Nui Ba Din. He told me a lot about southern soul music and the civil rights movement. He cared about the enlisted men and was a good man.
Bravo and Charlie Company’s Running Battle with the Viet Cong on 14-December-1967 Charlie Company Officers Dennis Dubendorf, Charlie Co. 1968 (6/5/1999) Charlie Company lost two officers that day (12/14/67): 2LT Howard Doyle and 1LT James Miller. The company walked into an ambush, it happened several times that day. Charlie Company’s PVT Ford Al Baker, CPT, CO Bravo Co. 1967-68 (2/13/2000) When Charlie Company got hit hard prior to Bo Tuc (in December on Operation Yellowstone), B Company counterattacked the attacking VC. As I found survivors, most were in shell shock. One very young soldier was a PVT Ford—he was sensational. I got him a medal and the Chief of Staff of the Army promoted him (as I recall) to the rank of SGT-E5. I asked how he had gotten to be a private. He was previously in Delta Company and threatened to kill CPT Rosenthal [a Delta Company CO back in Aug-Sept ‘67] if he didn’t straighten out. He was given an Article 15 and transferred to another Company. Made me love the kid even more. Endnote: Al wasn’t a big fan of Rosenthal’s. • AL: I think I remember Ford, well as least a guy with the name Ford. The one I remember was, and looked very, very young—and was quite short (5'3"-5'4"). Does the Ford I remember fit your remembrance of what your PVT Ford looked like?” Willie Gin, Alpha Co. 1967-68 (5/23/2003) • Willie: Yes, it must have been the same guy. He looked like he was about 14. Al Baker (5/27/2003) Bravo Company Al Baker, CPT, CO Bravo Co. 1967-68 (9/2/98) The day before [13-Dec-67], Bravo found many trails leading to what I believed at time was COSVN Headquarters. It was at least a major command post (perhaps for a NVA division) and we killed two VC carrying landlines. That evening the Battalion came together to laager for the night. I don’t know if our laager site was ever named, but I think it was named after one of our wives [possibly Betty]. In our nightly huddle [commander meetings] I suggested that we ambush those trails that Bravo had cut, and that turned out to be the order for the next day’s operation. The next morning [14-Dec-67], Charlie and Bravo Company set out towards the ambush sites while Delta stayed to secure our laager site. While getting there, Charlie Company was held by sniper fire, encircled and hit hard. They lost all their Officers except for CPT Andy Gayle (the CO) and the Chaplain who was walking with them. We, Bravo Company, went in after them and drove off the NVA. My folks made a marvelous attack into a clearly superior force. The NVA had Charlie Company’s dead stacked in piles and were taking off their web gear when we got there. There was a PVT Ford there (from Charlie Company) that really showed “true grit”. I nominated him for, and he got, a Bronze Star and a promotion from CSA on December 28th at Katum. I had a difficult time getting Charlie Company’s dead and wounded out. We were in triple canopy jungle and we had to march several Kms to the nearest open area, to where we could get choppers in. Every man was helping with a litter and I couldn’t come up with a “just in case” plan. That night General Mearns flew in and ordered me back into that area of contact. In fact he chewed on my butt for not pursuing the NVA force that had crippled Charlie Company. He did give me the pre-planned air strikes and CS gas with M53 busters that I begged for. The next morning [15-Dec-67], I received nineteen pre-planned air strikes at first light. We crawled out of our positions about 3:00 AM and moved to an attack position just north of where Charlie Company was ambushed. Just before dawn, Issue 11 (our FAC) flew over us in a Bird-Dog. We were soaked from crawling through the wet grass, no chow, no smoking and barely breathing, so as not to be discovered and obliterated by the NVA. Issue 11 started his chatter: “How is it down there Manchu Bravo Six? I have plenty of hot coffee up here in my thermos. Want some? Oh that’s right, you are on listening silence and can’t answer. Let me, let you listen to me sip it. Sound Good?” Issue 11, he was good for moral. I don’t recall ever meeting him in person. Yet I felt as close to him as any man in my Company. He would come to our aid, day or night, in all kinds of weather—a true “brother in arms”. I have several stories about him floating around in my head. There was the time he thought he ran out of gas (I think at Bo Tuc) and another time when he got his binocular strap entangled around a stick in the back seat of his Bird-Dog and thought he was going to crash before he could get the stick free. I was on the air with during those times and he was begging me to come get him if he went down. I would tell him we would come, but only to save his thermos—and not him. At dawn the air strike started. Later, I had Chinooks drop the CS gas in 55-gallon drums with M5 busters. We donned gas masks and went in behind it to discover COSVN HQ. We secured it and stayed there most of the day getting documents and equipment out. In the next few days, we found another site with a bunch of rice and brought in a Chinook to fly it out. Then we moved up to the Cambodian Border and got pounded by mortars from inside of Cambodia. It took forever to get permission to fire back at them. The next stop Bo Tuc. Charlie Company Jerry Pahlmann, Charlie Co. 1967-68 (7/19/2003) I was reading the "Diary" today about Dec 14 1967. I am sending you what I remember which is a little different than what is in the Diary. This is what I remember about December 14,1967: On the night of December 13th, we [Charlie Company] setup for the night in a heavily wooded area. We were assigned fire zones and our [my] location was where the LP [Listening Post] was to be. We sent three guys out on LP who later reported that there was a lot of movement all around them. After reporting this activity, they maintained silence to avoid being detected by the VC. Later, as usual, we came under a mortar attack. Our M-60 machine gunner fired back, toward the area where we could hear the VC’s mortars coming from. They answered back with a RPG, which passed a little over our heads. We were expecting an attack, but fortunately it didn't happen. The next morning the guys on LP made it back in safely. On the morning of December 14, 1967, our squad was assigned the lead for Charlie Company. Doug Simone was the right column point man; Billy Godfrey was point for the left column, followed by Don Willis and I, with Richard Harrison on left flank. LT Howard Doyle was behind Willis with his RTO. After a couple hours we came to an area that appeared to be a VC or NVA base camp. There were bunkers and foxholes that looked like they had not been used for a while. In front of them were markers of twisted vines, used to mark the VC’s land mines that had black plastic over them which were partially exposed. We were told to veer to the right away from the bunkers. As we proceeded along the edge of the base camp, we found fresh signs of enemy activity. Simone and Godfrey reported they could hear voices. Simone asked for artillery or gunships to prep the area but was told to keep going. About that time the VC opened up on us. Fortunately for me, when it started, there was one of those 3 to 4 foot tall anthills right in front of me, which provided me with some cover. LT Doyle and his RTO were to the right of me, who were also protected somewhat by the same anthill. His RTO had been hit in the hand or arm. I was hit in the chin, checked my teeth with my tongue to see if they were still there—luckily they were. I looked to my left for Willis, and discovered that he had been hit and was not moving. “Doc” Jay Wright (our medic) crawled past us to give medical aid to Simone and Godfrey who were under fire. LT James Miller (from one of the other platoons) came up to where LT Doyle was located, to assist us. We were told to move back. Jim Tallent, who was right behind us, asked about Willis. I told him I thought he was gone—dead. Jim started crawling up to retrieve the ammo Willis had been carrying. Before being killed, Willis had taken the ammo off his back and had it ready to use as soon as we came under fire. Jim crawled forward a few feet and rolled over. As soon as he rolled over, Victor Charlie would fire where he had been. I could see the saplings and weeds shake from the bullets. Then Jim would rollback over and crawls forward again; rollover and crawl forward—the same thing again and again. He finally made it up, got to the ammo and got back with it. I was able to crawl back, away from the enemy bunkers, with the anthill still giving me cover. Later when we could be evacuated, we walked quite a distance to where we waited for the Dust- off choppers. Doug Simone had been wounded and was being assisted (walk/carried) by others. A day or so later, Charlie Company's XO and another Officer came to the hospital in Tay Ninh to find out what I could tell them about the ambush. They told me LT Doyle, LT Miller, Willis, Harrison, Godfrey and Doc Wright were all KIA’s. I don't know if they told me, or that I had heard it later, that on December 14, 1967 we were going to a known or suspected active NVA base camp. I have always thought LT Doyle and LT Miller were probably killed in action trying to get our guys’ dead bodies out. They list 14 wounded, but I only knew of three. Possibly the other wounded were from Bravo Company, who came in later to clear the area. Larry Mitchell, Bravo Co. 1967-68 (7/20/2003) I was with Bravo Company on December 14th and I remembered this sad day for a long time. I don’t remember it nearly as clearly as Jerry Pahlmann (Charlie Company). I never knew where we were much of the time during December, but I can see now from the coordinates that we were about 8.5 kms west and 3.5 kms north of Katum, and only about 4 kms south of the Cambodian border. I remember learning that Willis was killed. He was in my AIT Company at Ft. Polk. I think there were four of us who were assigned to the Manchus. I didn’t know Willis that well, but I remember he was a pretty good guy. Todd Dexter’s diary doesn’t show any WIA’s for Bravo Company that day, but that may not be conclusive. I’m sure we didn’t have any KIA’s. Al Baker would probably remember about WIA’s. I know he remembers that day pretty clearly. The following are two e-mail accounts about the ambush on December 14, 1967. They are between Captain Al Baker (Bravo Company Commander) and Spec-4 Bob Garner: Captain Baker to Spec-4 Garner: We were to the south of Charlie Company. Moving parallel to them. They got sniped at from the front and stopped in column formation for the point to clear the ambush. They were encircled and hit hard from the flank. We went to their rescue on the run. We circled around to the north in case they were expecting us, and made a beautiful attack. We [Bravo Company] had a few wounded but no KIA. I found a pile of dead from Charlie Company, which included two platoon leaders. There were many wounded too seriously to walk. We used poncho liners to carry them out of the triple canopy jungle. We made the LZ and set the damn thing on fire with a smoke grenade. We had to pick up the wounded and dead and dash off the LZ. Later, General Means, the Division Commander, flew in and chewed my ass for not pursuing the enemy. Ordered me in at first light. Spec-4 Garner to Captain Baker: I greatly appreciated your sending the details on what happened that day. As a grunt, I was pretty much told to "go there and do that" and I didn't have a clue as to what was really going on. I remember rushing to flank the ambush; I took a position to the left of our machine gunner. I couldn't see anything but moving bushes. I got off maybe half a clip then WHAM! I never realized a bullet could have such impact. When you patched me up, it was immediately after the firefight and everyone was still operating on adrenaline and trying to determine who was alive and who wasn't. The medics were all busy and I really appreciated you bandaging my shoulder. I'm sure that your thoughts were on the situation at the time and you don't recall being a medic for me, but I thank you 35 years later. Yes, I remember the LZ fire! I was ambulatory and I tried stomping out the fire. I must have looked ridiculous doing that. And I remember having to pick up and get off to another LZ site. I was helping Tim Taylor. He was the blond guy in Weapons Platoon from L.A. He had multiple shrapnel wounds on his back and could just barely walk with help. To this day, I distinctively remember Tim's words when we were scrambling for the new LZ: "We're gonna fuck around, and fuck around, and Charlie's gonna come back here and kick our ass". Sorry you got reamed for not chasing Charlie afterwards. As I remember, we weren't ready for chasing anyone at that time. At least I wasn't.
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